Business Leaders of Tomorrow to Compete in Mid-Hudson Regional Business Plan Competition (4/13)

The event is powered by AT&T with sponsorship support from iCANny

April 11, 2018 — Fifty-four teams of college students from the region will show their best in the annual Mid-Hudson Valley Business Plan Competition on Friday, April 13. The all-day event will take place in the Murray Student Center on the Marist College campus in Poughkeepsie with support from AT&T and iCANny. 

Competition categories include: IT/software, services, clean technology, products, advanced technology, and social entrepreneurship/non-profit. Students who win in their categories at this event will go on to the statewide competition in Albany on April 27, and will have the opportunity to win up to $20,000 in cash prizes. Students present to a panel of judges with expertise in the category. Judges include business and community leaders, investors, attorneys, and seasoned entrepreneurs. 

This year’s teams come from a wide array of area colleges, including: Marist, Dutchess Community College, SUNY New Paltz, U.S. Military Academy at West Point, SUNY Ulster, Culinary Institute of America, Mount Saint Mary College and St. Thomas Aquinas.

“AT&T’s continued support for this event grows out of the company’s commitment to fostering local innovation,” said Ed Bergstraesser, Regional Director of External Affairs for AT&T New York. “We want to provide young entrepreneurs with the resources 

they need to positively impact their communities and strengthen the growing entrepreneurial and innovation economy of the Hudson Valley and all of New York.”

Some of this year’s presentations will include an automated mobile device charging solar powered lockers, hydroponic farming service using vacant commercial lots, an organization that allocates donated frequent flyer miles for veterans, a revolutionary
redesigned ostomy bag that enables wearers to participate comfortably in athletic pursuits, and many more .
 
“The response this year has been phenomenal,” said Susan Scanlon, Assistant Dean in the School of Computer Science and Mathematics at Marist, and the organizer of the event. “We received the highest number of proposals ever with an amazing variety of projects that shows what innovative thinking is being fostered at Hudson Valley colleges. I know the competition is going to be terrific.”

About Marist

Located on the banks of the historic Hudson River and at its Florence, Italy campus, Marist College is a comprehensive, independent institution grounded in the liberal arts. Its mission is to “help students develop the intellect, character, and skills required for enlightened, ethical, and productive lives in the global community of the 21st century.” Marist is consistently recognized for excellence by The Princeton Review (Colleges That Create Futures and The Best 381 Colleges), U.S. News & World Report (9th Best Regional University/North), Kiplinger’s Personal Finance (“Best College Values”), and others. Marist educates approximately 5,000 traditional-age undergraduate students and 1,400 adult and graduate students in 47 undergraduate majors and 15 graduate programs, including fully online MBA, MPA, MS, and MA degrees. www.marist.edu